Maddy

No more unique than other breeds. Merle dachshunds are called dapples even though it's merle, liver labs are called chocolate, even though it's just liver, red ticked English setters are "orange belton", sable GSDs are "black and gold" or "black and mahogany", blue can be called blue or grey or silver (depending on the breed) and so on and so forth. Greyhounds actually have a fairly simple system- black, blue, dun, red/fawn/fallow (all sable, one with a modifier), brindle or any of those colours with white. I can't understand why anyone would feel the need to quibble over a colour name when most breed types will have their own colour name system and some of those names are not good descriptors of the actual colours.

Seven crates (each with at least one foam mat), three HoundHouses, five or so trampoline beds with the velboa Snooza covers, an unknown quantity of soft beds piled up in the spare room, various foam "basket" beds/mats in the bedroom and lounge room, enough vetbed to carpet a small nation (I'm actually sitting on a piece of vetbed right now ) and heaps of blankets, mostly the thick, plush ones because it can get really cold down here. We currently have four dogs but we've had up to nine at once so what seems excessive can actually sometimes not be enough, depending on how many fosters we have.

Idiot Dog has one of the Dogit elevated bowls for his water and it's great. I actually ended up replaced all my dog bowls with Dogit ones, partly because they're very heavy so no scooting them around on the kitchen floor and partly because the quality is really good and they actually look nice. I got the elevated one from Pet Circle ages ago (looks like they're not restocking on the black large size though) and the regular ones from MyPetWarehouse.

Nope, and I don't bother with actually rinsing it off, as the instructions say to.

I used to use Urine Off because it has such a good reputation but to be honest, I couldn't ever notice any difference after using it. I switched to Spotty Oxy spray, which has hydrogen peroxide as its active ingredient, and found it works heaps better to get stains out of carpet. Idiot Dog occasionally suffers from polyuria caused by his medications and Shitty Whippet does the occasional biley spew (those bright yellow spews that stain badly) so over the years, I've tried quite a few things and by far, the Spotty Oxy has been the best. It also seems to be quite a bit cheaper and actually lists its active ingredient, rather than just vaguely referring to "special" enzymes somewhere on the bottle.

Something like this? http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Fold-Up-Orthopedic-Travel-Dog-Bed-Medium-4-Seasons-Portable-Pet-/201033763718?hash=item2ece8bcb86

...seems you are not familiar with the physics of heat transfer....if my dog is laying in the sun, her black top coat can be well above the 40 deg C as it absorbs the sun light...if she wouldn't have the double coat she would become heavily sunburned and she would more likely overheat as the heat energy will flow from higher temperature to lower temperature - the coat as an insulation prevents this...in the sun even the coat of a dead dog could have a higher temperature if there is enough radiation...following your theory bitumen in the sun is alive because it's hot, yeah? My single-coated black greyhound likes to sunbake and despite having very sparse hair, she's never been sunburnt- you don't need a fur coat to protect yourself from the sun when a rash vest would do the same job. Being heavily dressed will certainly be more effective due to the thicker layers but you'll also be hot. Because that's how insulation works. A dog produces heat from the inside as a product of metabolism. Dogs with less hair dissipate heat more effectively than dogs with long or thick hair. This seems like it should be pretty simple to understand but I guess if you're intent on being purposely obtuse, I can't really help you.

Of course it is. And that's why you can't compare a dog to a house. But again, heat is still lost through the coat, this is fact. Another experiment for you: touch your dog. Is it warm? It should be, because otherwise it might possibly be dead.

A dog is not like a house though? A dog is producing its own heat, independent of room temperature. A house does not produce heat, unless you heat it somehow. It's like comparing apples to buses. This aside, if the theory about coats is correct, why don't short-haired, smooth coated dogs suffer terribly in the heat? And why do these dogs tend to come from warmer climates, unlike the double or long coated dogs which tend to come from cooler climates. If anyone has any doubts as to the house theory, I'd like to propose a little experiment: Ensure your house has good insulation, cover doors and windows with blankets or towels, etc. Now turn your heat pump up to 37.5. How cool and comfortable are you feeling? Completely not at all because your house is now a horrific oven? Yeah..

I feed something similar to prey model and in my opinion, for a dog of that size, it's probably way too much. To give you an idea of what I feed.. my greyhounds weigh 30kgs on average and they get 1000g a day. For some this is too much and I have to take about a third off. Even with greys up to 39kgs, I've never had to increase portions so I'd say 800g would probably be my average portion size, depending on the type of meat. We also have a fast day every now and then, usually after a feast day (the day I decide to defrost my big freezer). They certainly don't seem to mind and sometimes, it can help get a picky eater back on track.

Have you ever used an e-collar Maddy? How many dogs have you seen trained with one, or trained yourself? I have seen numerous "soft tempered but highly prey driven" dogs trained to recall successfully, some with e-collars, some with other methods. To say something will "never" work is a big call, especially if you are referring to a form of training you aren't experienced with or familiar in. You're making assumptions about my levels of experience in trying to deal with that particular issue, in a breed I've worked with for almost 10 years. And you know what they say about making assumptions.

I completely understand what hounds are like - I live with one! :D There are many different ways to train a life skill with recall... I have said on DOL many times I fine tuned Daisy's recall with an e-collar. You do what works for the dog in front of you - without question not all dogs are as easy to motivate as others. But that doesn't make it impossible. A lot of dogs will ignore an e-collar when they go into drive for something - IME that is generally poor conditioning of the collar more than anything else. But, corrections can also increase drive, a lot of people use prong collars when training protection for that reason. And this is where we're going to have to just agree to disagree because punitive methods for discouraging chasing or teaching recall off prey (and let's be frank about it, there is nothing positive about applying static shocks to a dog's neck in training) are never going to be reliable on soft tempered but highly prey driven breeds. At best, the dog will learn to do it out of your sight, at worst, you will cause the dog significant pain and fear without achieving a thing.

You're comparing a herding breed to a hunting breed. One is more biddable than the other, one has been developed over hundreds of years specifically to chase. Apples and oranges.

Yes, definitely. It is something that is genetically very strong in some dogs more than others. Prey drive is something that can make the dog either difficult to handle or extremely well trained depending on how you develop it. I haven't met dogs with a higher prey drive than our working line Mals, but they will recall off live prey mid chase. There is no situation or distraction I have found where I can't make them reliable. I am sure some posters will jump and say 'but they are bred to be more bidable' but people who handle high drive working dogs or have experience with them, will know this isn't true - they can very easily become extremely out of control and difficult to handle due to temperament traits like their prey drive. How you train a dog with an extremely high prey drive can differ depending on your level of skill and the dogs history of reinforcement (how has it learnt to reward its prey drive etc). But it is certainly possible. People who try to stifle prey drive or stop the dog going into drive without also giving it a positive outlet for drive will never see a high level of reliability compared to trainers who can harness drive and use it. See, to me, that suggests their drive isn't that high compared to something like a greyhound. I've seen greyhounds with completely shattered hocks continue to chase the lure, screaming in pain as they go. They would run themselves to death in pursuit of something and to be blunt about it, liver treats, tug toys or praise could never be more rewarding than the chase. It doesn't seem to matter if chase has ever been rewarded further, the chasing is enough. And when the behaviour is its own reward.. Plenty of people claim it can be done but curiously, I've never seen a greyhound successfully trained not to chase.

And you will get what you pay for.

The blue in a blue heeler is not actually blue, it's black. They're genetically a black and tan dog, that is piebald and has ticking. To break that down.. Black and tan dog -> simple enough. Piebald -> Usually extreme, with just an eye patch or incomplete mask. This means your black and tan dog is now mostly white with just either black patches or red (sable) patches on its head. Ticking/roaning -> Puppy is born white but as it grows, spots begin to develop (like how dallies are born almost white). Those spots are fully coloured (not diluted in pigment) but because of how roaning/ticking works, they appear diluted. In roaning, the density is greatly increased, compared to ticking which is usually defined spots. Genetically.. KK spsp TrTr Edit: Idiot Dog is T? for ticking and here are two photos to show how ticking develops.. Idiot Dog as a puppy- Idiot Dog as a teenager-

Have you tried the Snooza Durobeds? I've had a couple of bed-destroying hounds and as far as soft beds go, the Durobed was the only thing that survived more or less intact. When the cover did get a hole in it, I bought another cover and put it over the top just to make shredding it even harder.

As far as I know, they come in blue (which can varies heaps in intensity) and isabella, which is blue that also carries liver. Both blue and liver are dilutes so you end up with that really pale blueish-brownish colour.

Always birthdays, because we know when they were all born. To be honest, I couldn't remember any of the dates when we actually got the dogs. Even the newest (the Spotty Dawg), he's only been here a few months but damned if I can remember anything more specific than "after July sometime". Birthday presents are whatever they happen to need at the time; new coats, new beds, new toys or whatever.

Nope not all dogs dig from boredom, one of my greyhounds digs holes because she enjoys it. Just today we went for a good walk along the foreshore, walked back along the beach where she had a dip in the ocean yet as soon as we got home she was straight out in the yard to do a bit more excavation on her current project :) This. I currently have two professional excavators- one who just seems to love the job and the other who isn't overly keen on digging but will spend hours carefully constructing herself subterranean hidey spots, often furnished with stolen towels (because why sleep on any of the seven beds she currently has access to? ). Our lawn looks terrible, we fill in the steep holes so that no one breaks an ankle in them but otherwise.. Digging is normal, it might be an unwanted behaviour but it's not a reliable indicator of poor mental well-being by itself and shouldn't be treated as such.

I have a Dremel Stylus and I hate it. It's awkward to use and for all the noise it makes, it's not very powerful. It's the second of the Dremel brand I've tried and honestly, I'm at a loss as to why anyone would recommend them. Of the three grinders I have (Dremel, Oster and Wahl), the Wahl nail grinder is my favourite. It doesn't do that whining noise that seems to freak dogs out, it's absurdly powerful* and really easy to use. That said, I have a breed that grows incredibly thick, hard nails so the grinder has to be very good to cope with that sort of job. If you want to grind the nails of something with thin little nails.. I guess it probably doesn't matter so much. *Accidentally touched it to one of my thumb nails once while using it and in a split second, a massive chunk of my nail disappeared in a tiny cloud of nail dust.

Quibbling over a few hundred years, when other species of domesticated animal have been around humans for THOUSANDS of years is absurd. They are one of the most recently domesticated animals and this is simply fact. The fact that you don't know why rabbits might need appropriate surfaces (which has nothing to do with nails) suggests you are ignorant of certain issues that they are prone to- issues which are exacerbated by being kept indoors. But yes, go home to your indoor rabbits and feel superior about shutting down the "weird" discussion. Never mind what ethology says on the matter or that you've perfectly illustrated my point for me.

I wish this wasn't true but unfortunately, it's very, very accurate. Like rabbit welfare groups who believe rabbits should live entirely indoors. Human is comfy indoors, therefore bunny must be more comfortable indoors? Despite the fact they're a relatively recently domesticated animal and not at all suited to that sort of life. You wouldn't keep a sheep locked indoors around people- having humans constantly within its flight zone would be incredibly stressful- but because rabbits are smaller, despite the fact they are also herbivorous prey animals, it's somehow okay. And that, funnily enough, is actually a perfect example of anthropomorphism- assigning human wants/needs to other animals, even to the detriment of the animals concerned. Despite the more heart-tugging 'reasons' the bunny societies would restrict them to indoors only (imo either indoors or outdoors is fine as long as bunny is cared for) bunnies are entirely capable of living happily inside stress free. Not all bunnies for sure, depends on that bunny, but they are capable of thriving inside as house pets and most can be suited to it. Obviously grabbing an unsocialised outdoor bunny who is unused to people and shoving indoors won't work anymore than an unsocialised dog (both could potentially be trained) but a bunny who likes people will do just fine and isn't going to spend its life in terror just because people are around. Bit misleading to state otherwise. They are suited and they are not recently domesticated o-O been domesticated since the Middle Ages? Certainly not 'detrimental' to live indoors? And it is the better option imo if your yard is a myxie hotspot or overloaded with predators /back to dogs The reasons rabbits don't belong indoors are more than just sharing space with humans. Rabbits are hindgut fermenters and need constant access to appropriate forage (not vegetables, bunny pellets or other junk food), sufficient vitamin D, appropriate surfaces to move around on and most importantly, to be afforded a lifestyle suitable to their species. Myxo and RHD are only preventable to a point, regardless of whether the rabbit lives inside or out. Coming up with excuses to explain away less than ideal welfare sort of proves my point there. Also, the middles ages only ended 700 years ago so yes, an incredibly recent domestication, besides being almost entirely limited to meat/fur production. By comparison, goats (which most people would never consider inside pets) have been domesticated for around 10,000 years. You can see the difference, yes?

I've often wondered where the line is between caring for your animal appropriately and being a crazy dog/cat lady. Idiot Dog has his own actual wardrobe and while it might seem excessive to some, it gets a lot of use for about nine months of the year and makes total sense to me. Pictured: Not crazy Some of the stuff matches coloured muzzles or the Shitty Whippet's coats but the most important thing is that whatever goes in there, serves a purpose- like the difference between a summer rain sheet and a coat suitable for winter storms. There are also doubles of stuff he wears a lot, because it can be hard to get stuff dry in winter. I'd guess a lot of people would think his wardrobe is all kinds of crazy but I care an appropriate amount about his comfort, with the occasional extravagance (one or two fancy martingales added a year) because I don't really spend my money anywhere besides the dogs and there are definitely worse ways to waste money/time, anyway- like developing a drug habit or taking up a gambling problem. I'm happy putting a majority of my energy into the dogs, someone else might find that crazy but happily waste hours a day doing something like knitting. Whatever floats your boat, I guess

I wish this wasn't true but unfortunately, it's very, very accurate. Like rabbit welfare groups who believe rabbits should live entirely indoors. Human is comfy indoors, therefore bunny must be more comfortable indoors? Despite the fact they're a relatively recently domesticated animal and not at all suited to that sort of life. You wouldn't keep a sheep locked indoors around people- having humans constantly within its flight zone would be incredibly stressful- but because rabbits are smaller, despite the fact they are also herbivorous prey animals, it's somehow okay. And that, funnily enough, is actually a perfect example of anthropomorphism- assigning human wants/needs to other animals, even to the detriment of the animals concerned.